White Houses
by FazzyGrl.22
Summary: Crashed on the floor when I moved in, This little bungalow with some strange new friends. Stay up too late, and I'm too thin. We promise each other it's 'til the end... In my heart is the five of us. In white houses...
1. In Which We Arrive

**Authors Note:** Hey guys! Okie dokie, new story here... Well, let's see.. this is a story that has been brewing in my mind for a while now. It went from being an OC chick to an OC chick with a brother who'd be best buds with lots of the guys, to this. And ideas are still tumbling around up in my noggin so we'll see what happens with this. As for the title, well, I'm not much on naming titles after song titles, but the title of Vanessa Carlton's song _White Houses_ really fit with the story I'm going with here. So, just this once. ;) Anyways, enjoy! And if you want, tell me what you think. I'm all ears. Just be polite about it is all I ask. ;)

Also, update! It seems I had some continuity errors with this and the third chapter, so I fixed that. XDD

* * *

Chapter 1

In Which We Arrive

I had never seen the sea before. Well, at least not up close like this. The crisp air that smelled of salt and fish, the sound of the waves crashing and bashing against the rocks, not to mention the color of the water - blue, gray and green - was all so breathtaking. I clung to the bars of the ferry we were riding and peered off into the distance, hoping to spot the island's shores. Soon enough, I saw the sparkling, clear sand and a parking lot with a dock where our ferry would land. I had a feeling that my smile was larger than my face by the way my cheeks felt stretched.

A large hand rested upon my shoulder and I looked up to see Dad looking down at me with one of his small smiles on his face. Since it was one of those rare, sweet smiles of his, I couldn't help but smile back. If there was anyone that I could say I idolized, it was my father. He was a Brigadier General from his Garden's army and had been recently stationed on a series of islands called Destiny Islands. Well, when I heard that we were moving to real life _islands - _the actual small bodies of land that were surrounded by water - my reaction was like a restless puppy who was given the chance to go for a long, fun walk.

"Excited, Xi?" Dad asked.

"You bet I am! To actually be living on an island … to go to _school _while being on an island! I can take my lunch breaks and do my homework on the beach… It's gonna be great!"

"What about all that hype of finding a job, Xion?"

My mom peered over from the other side of my dad and gave me one of _those _looks. I instantly wilted against the bar. "You _had_ to bring that up," I sighed.

"Way to go, Rinoa, popping our daughter's bubble like that." Dad reprimanded my mother lightly with that sort of dry tone he usually used when joking. That was Dad for you. He wasn't one of those hyperactive types. He was the quiet, somber type with the sarcastic streak. I was often told I had that streak, just meaner, with my mom's temper.

Speaking of Mom's temper…

"Oh don't even start with me, mister! If it was up to you, you'd spoil Xion rotten and she wouldn't have any idea on how to manage on her own! As her mother, I think I have a right to…"

I've become a master at drowning out voices that I find annoying by daydreaming, and Mom was the prime tool I used to mold that gift. I just decided to turn my thoughts to what job I could try finding and what my new school was going to be like.

_I'd love to work in a bookstore… but with my luck, I'll end up working with food instead. That's usually the thing for islands, isn't it? Tourist cafés and food markets? Oh well… I wonder what the kids at school will be like? Once again, with my luck they'll all think I'm weird and I'll be the new girl outcast. Oh well, oh well, ohhhh welllll_

"Squall? Squall! Are you even listening to me?"

"If I kiss you, will you forgive me?"

"Wha-? Come on, be serious! Squall! Come on… cut it out…"

Don't ask me what was going on between my parents, because I wasn't looking. There are some days when it's good to act like I don't know who those two people are. Even though my parents have been married for the past twenty years, they still sometimes act like newlyweds, which isn't bad, but can sometimes be a bit awkward for yours truly. And yet, when Dad would act really kind and sincere towards my mom on her bad days, I have to admit, they could be really adorable together.

Instead, my eyes were focused on the ever-nearing shoreline.

"Geez, you'd think the locals have never seen outsiders before!" Mom exclaimed. I had to agree. Lined along the docks were people waving hello to us. I figured it wasn't too abnormal. After all, Destiny Islands was a bit off of the map and kinda small. It would make sense that the islanders would be happy to see more people from other places taking an interest in their little spot of the world.

I smiled. Friendly people were always welcome in my book! And to be honest, I was aching to make new friends. My high school years weren't exactly a bed of roses, having only one friend who moved away in the middle of our sophomore year…

"It's because they know there's a new military officer coming, ma'am," said one of the officers who helped run the ferry. He had been nearby to watch for signals directing when it was okay to "weigh anchor," so to speak. "What with the war coming closer to our part of the world, just knowing that there are more soldiers here is a great comfort."

That set the mood a bit on the more serious side. I didn't know much about the war, but what I did know was that my dad's Garden felt it prevalent to send him here. Destiny Islands wasn't exactly near the naval battles, but it hadn't gone by unnoticed, from what I did know.

"Well, hopefully my being here is just a precaution," Dad answered. His voice had taken that official tone that he used when under the line of duty, but his gaze was still friendly.

The man nodded in agreement and went back to work. The ferry had officially docked and we were walking down the runway onto the beaches in a matter of minutes. Since Dad was such an important military official, we were ushered straight away to the station where we would get our luggage.

Mom grabbed my hand and squeezed it. She had a huge smile on her face. "This is exciting, isn't it?" I bobbed my head up and down silently.

"I think I'm just a bit overwhelmed," I admitted. There was just so much to see! What with the color of the sea, the beach, the red faces of the people, the bright brochures on billboards, the clear, blue sky - not to mention all the sounds of the sea and the bustling people and the smell of fish and salt - it was a lot to take in.

Mom kissed my forehead. "You'll love it here, Xion. Nothing's more refreshing than the clean, fresh beach and the taste of the salt air on your lips. Oh, I can't wait to see my sister!"

I smiled. Right there was the reason why Mom had been so excited to move here. Her older sister had moved down here when she and her husband had gotten a beach house for a relatively cheap price. They had decided to adopt two kids and they had wanted to move into a bigger place in an environment that was open and safe. My uncle had family in Twilight Town (the place we originally sailed from to get to these islands) and they had recommended the islands to him. From last I heard of them, they had set up home with their two kids and were living peacefully.

When Mom found out that Dad was actually stationed here, I remember hearing her joyful squeals from down the hall of our house. No doubt my dad got a lot of hugging and kissing as a result, considering that he had actually requested being stationed there when asked. And now, here we were, on our way to our brand new home. Well, at least, _their _brand new home. I would only be staying there for a week or two.

An official Destiny Islands Navy truck drove us to the house, situated near the military base. While the officer and Dad talked together, and Mom was on the phone with her sister, I kept my eyes glued out the window. Everything was just so gorgeous! We had passed beyond the more busy part of the islands where the boardwalks, shops and the stations were located, and now were on a lone road. The only thing I saw were long, yellow stalks of wheat, the beach and the ocean. I wish I could paint a picture for you to see, but I'm no painter. Seriously, I couldn't paint a pretty picture if my life depended on it. You want a good comparison to my drawing? You can compare it to a six-year-old, and I bet he could draw better trees than me any day!

Well, we finally reached the house and the furniture truck was already there waiting for us. There were several more officers there as well, and they saluted Dad respectfully. Dad saluted them back and began talking with them, asking each man their name. That's just how Dad is. His sternness coupled with the little signs of concern for the men under him make him a most respectable leader, and he's become well-known for it. He says he wasn't always like that, and has done a lot of changing over the years, but to me, that's all in the past. Now, in the present, he is a man worthy of respect.

I'll spare you the tedious details of moving in. What's important is that we got all our stuff moved in and my mom was able to organize everything to her heart's content. Dad and I always knew when to sit back and let her do her thing. Our house was a pretty good size, at least, for three-going-on-two of us. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, two stories, an attic and a basement. The master bedroom and what was supposed to be my bedroom had doors that opened out onto a balcony and there was a very nice wrap-around porch in front.

Dad, Mom and I stood there in the middle of our living room, furniture surrounding us, and we all gave a big group hug. Well, mainly it was Dad hugging the two of us, since his shoulders were so broad.

"You girls like it?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, Squall. I'm so incredibly happy! This is more than I hoped for! We're gonna do well here, I just know it!" Mom hugged him tightly and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek.

"And you, Xion? What do you think?"

"You know I'm totally psyched to be here!" I exclaimed. "What's more, I'm excited about the school! Bet you two are as well. You'll get to have the house to yourselves again." I winked at my parents. Mom just shook her head, shooing away my comment. Dad was smiling.

"Oh honey, don't be silly. You know you're always welcome back here if you need anything. The school's only about thirty minutes away, right?"

"Yup," Dad answered.

"Which reminds me," Mom stepped away from Dad to rummage through her purse. She pulled out a planner and began flipping through it. "Since the island's university starts its first semester at the end of August, you should begin preparing yourself for your classes. We'll go out and get some supplies soon, okay?"

I nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

Mom smiled. "Okay guys!" she exclaimed. "Now that we're basically moved it, what's say we go check out the island cuisine here?"

Needless to say, me and Dad were all for that idea.


	2. Of Beach Houses and Martial Arts

Chapter 2

Of Beach Houses and Martial Arts

"Hey, Mom! I'm gonna go look around the town, okay?"

Shouting this, I bounded down the stairs and skipped into the kitchen where my mom was munching on celery while reading a book. She looked up at me and shrugged.

"Fine with me. You know the way?"

"Yeah, no problem. You need anything?"

Mom tilted her head and screwed her mouth to the side. "Hmm… I need some onions and we could do with some more juice. Hold on." She slid off of her chair and rummaged through a pantry. "Chicken bullion, too, and… You know what? Hold on. I'll write down a list for you."

She pulled a pen out of her pocket, ripped a sheet of paper off of a list pad stuck on the fridge, and began writing things down. She handed the list to me when she was finished and I quickly perused the list. Seeing how long the list was, I rolled my eyes. "Want me to bring the entire farmer's market here?" I joked.

"Very funny. Just get outa here."

We had two cars: one was an SUV that my dad mainly used and the other was a smaller vehicle, which I took this day to get to town where the malls and convenient stores were located. After parking in the main area where everyone else had cars and bikes parked, I took the time to drink in the town's surroundings. There was all sorts of fun things to do (which, of course, I made a note to partake in myself in the future) like arcade games, window-shopping at all the stores on the boardwalk, as well as an amazing amusement park that had loads of spinning rides, a high drop and a huge ferris wheel. Accompanying these rides were three or four concession stands which made my mouth water at the sight of the bright billboards with the words ICE CREAM, PIZZA, POPCORN and FUNNEL CAKES emblazoned on them. Pretty tempting.

_Okay, I'll just get a funnel cake… and maybe a coke._

I walked up to one of the stands and eyed the goodies greedily as the cashier handed out funnel cakes to the people in front of me. I hadn't had a funnel cake in _forever_ and the puffy pastry covered in powdered sugar looked incredibly delectable. Soon it was my turn to order.

"One funnel cake and one coke, please." I began pulling money out of my wallet.

"Small, medium or large coke?" I glanced up at the cashier. "Small."

She nodded and began filling a Styrofoam cup, followed by fixing me my funnel cake. As soon as she had the funnel cake on a paper plate and had it on the counter for me to take, I handed her the money and she gave me the receipt.

"Have a nice day!" she grinned.

"You too!"

As much as I wanted to wander around and search for a record or comic store to wile away the afternoon, I knew I had to find the grocery store to get stuff for Mom. Only problem was, I had no idea where to start. I headed left from the rides and concession stands and headed towards the strip malls across the street. I could hear the rides behind me with people laughing and screaming, as well as the sound of seagulls above and around me picking up trash from the ground. The sound of waves crashing on the shore was nearby as the beach was a little ways below the amusement park to the right. The whole place was bustling. You'd think I wouldn't have a problem finding help for directions to a grocery store.

Of course, I was all alone, and you know how hard it is to get the gumption to talk to someone out of the blue when you're by yourself in a new town. I looked both ways before crossing the street over to the strip malls and bounded to the other side, while munching on the funnel cake and sipping my coke. Once on the other side, I began analyzing the stores and their names. None of them seemed to be a grocery store.

I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed when someone brushed my shoulder and knocked my drink out of my hand.

I let out a sound that resembled "Ack!" and my assaulter gasped and turned to look at me.

"I'm so sorry! I should've been more careful! I - Xion?"

I laughed out loud. "Hey, Auntie! Long time, no see!"

Sure enough, the person who had brushed me aside was my aunt, or my Mom's older sister (but only by a year). A big grin covered her face and she pulled me into a bear hug, making me squish my funnel cake between us.

"You know, you're probably gonna have powdered sugar all over your shirt now," I said dryly. Sure enough, when she finally let go of me, her red shirt and jean shorts were covered in a powdery white. But she didn't mind. She just grinned and said, "Oh well! Wow, a funnel cake sure does sound good right about now! Hey, come with me so I can get one, and get you another drink."

**...**

"So are you guys settling in well?"

My aunt and I were seated on a bench right outside the grocery store that I initially was trying to find, and she was munching on the funnel cake as I slurped my new cup of coke. It didn't get much better than that.

"Oh yeah. Mom's pretty psyched and Dad's gotten to know the other soldiers at the base. You guys should come over some time!"

She smiled. "Well actually, I was planning on calling your mom and ask if you guys would want to come to our place tonight and have dinner. I know you guys probably don't have much food yet, and I can make your Dad's favorite: barbeque!"

"Sounds awesome! Want me to tell Mom? She could call you back."

"All right, that's fine by me." She finished her treat and threw the paper plate in a nearby trash can. "Well, Xion, I hate to eat and run, but I'm a master at a martial arts school, and I've got a lesson in a few minutes. I'll see you guys tonight, hopefully?"

I grinned. "You bet! You know Mom'll be more than happy to come over, and I'm sure Dad would like to see Uncle Cloud again."

My aunt laughed. "Oh gosh, you know what it's like when those two get together. When two big egos are in one room, you know what's destined to happen."

"Yeah, yeah. Major petánque tournament!" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air. And before you ask, yes. I said petánque tournament. I know, sounds a bit lame, but when those two play petánque against each other, something is bound to be either mortally wounded or killed. They don't mess around when it comes to petánque. It can get quite interesting.

She laughed again and bade me goodbye, leaving me with what I was originally supposed to be doing: grocery shopping. Once I bought the desired items, I decided to head back. I guess I could have explored the area a bit more, but I was getting kind of bored and I needed to head home anyway.

When I arrived back at the house, I told Mom the news while putting away the groceries. Needless to say, she was all for going over. She immediately called my aunt - only to get a voicemail.

"She's probably teaching a martial arts lesson. She told me that she had one this afternoon."

"Right. Better leave a message."

At the moment that Dad stepped through the door, Mom ushered him upstairs, telling him to change clothes before doing anything else.

"Hey, hold up. What's going on?"

"Tifa's invited us over for dinner tonight! Now hurry up and change so we can go!"

Dad stopped in the middle of the stairs and Mom continually tried to push him up, to no avail.

"We're going to Cloud and Tifa's? Excellent. It's been a long time since I've beaten that guy in petánque." The grin on his face was positively cunning.

Mom groaned. "Aw, come on, Squall. When you two play that bocce ball game together it gets absolutely ridiculous! Do you have to play?"

Dad sighed and shook his head. "Darling, this is why you don't know anything."

Mom raised her right eyebrow. I could tell she was getting a bit annoyed.

"It's not bocce ball. It's _petánque. _And I guess we don't _have _to play. But… if that guy challenges me, you know there has to be a battle, Rinoa." Dad nodded sagely, as if this was common knowledge.

Mom sighed. "Fine. Just don't break anything this time, ok?"

The trip to my aunt and uncle's house was a half-hour's drive since we had to get to the town and then further out beyond to where many of the islanders lived in little suburbs. Our family's home was near the south, on the shoreline, situated on a hill. It was a nice white beach house raised on concrete poles with a sandy road that led down to the shore. There was a swing set to the right and a sizeable garage to the left.

The moment we got out of the car, Mom grabbed Dad's arm.

"Honey, _please._ Try to make this evening a nice, relaxed get together. When you two play that game you begin to argue and act like little children!"

"We don't argue. We debate."

"You _argue._ And last time, you argued so loudly some people called the police!"

"And what happened? The police came, we explained what was going on, and they began playing with us! It was a great tournament! You remember, Xion?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. You guys had me judge the thing along with Denzel. I seem to recall both you and Uncle Cloud yelling at us when you disagreed with our judging. Dude, I am _not _doing that again!" I exclaimed.

Both Mom and Dad laughed. We reached the front door and Mom knocked on it with enthusiasm. I could hear bustling from inside and the door was swung open by Aunt Tifa.

"Rinoa!"

"Tifa!"

The sisters squealed like little girls and hugged each other tightly. "How are you!" Mom exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm fine! Been doing well!"

"The little hooligans still giving you grief?"

"Oh no, the kids are doing well with their lessons. I'll make ninjas out of them yet!" Tifa grinned. She turned to Dad. "Squall!" she exclaimed.

"How's my love?" he joked with that quiet smile on his face. He gave her a warm hug and she turned to give me a hug as well.

"Xion!" I turned to look inside and I saw my cousins running toward me. Denzel, the boy, had just turned fourteen. He was getting quite tall, I noticed. The girl, Marlene, was about thirteen. She was looking more and more like a young woman, although she still preferred to keep her hair tied back in two braids with ribbons. I gave both of them big hugs.

"You know what I got the other day, Xi?" Denzel grinned broadly. Geez, now that I think of it, he was almost taller than me!

"What?"

"The new Call of Duty game: Black Ops! There's new zombie levels on it!"

That caught my attention. "You mean the one where you can play as Robert Englund at a George Romero movie set?"

"Oh yeah! It is _sick!_ Isn't it, Marlene?" he nudged his sister. She just stared back at him nonplussed.

"I'm not playing any more of that zombie junk!" she cried. "It freaks me out!"

Me and Denzel laughed. As we all were ushered into the house by Tifa, my uncle entered the foyer. He smiled at the sight of me and my parents.

"Well, look who it is! My favorite sister-in-law!"

Mom laughed. "How are you, Cloud?"

"Oh I'm fine. And, how's the new college student?" he grinned at me and I gave him a side-hug. "Excited?" he asked.

I nodded. "You bet!"

"Well, DU is a good school, for being as small as it is," he assured me. "They've got a good music major, if you're interested. Music is your field, right?"

I nodded. "Still got the violin and practicing."

He patted my back. "Good! Keep up the good work!"

"Thanks, Unc." I grinned.

Dad snorted. "I guess there's no one else in the room, huh?"

"Not anybody I wanna see," Cloud shrugged. The rest of us laughed.

Dad just raised an eyebrow. "What's that you've got in your hand, Cloud?" He pointed to a case my uncle held in one of his hands.

Cloud met him with the same expression. "Oh, just a little something that I know a certain fool in my foyer can't ever beat me in."

The rest of us rolled our eyes as Tifa ushered us into their living room. "Come on, you guys. No matches until after dinner," she scolded them.

But the two men continued to shoot verbal darts at each other. "I think you're mistaken, Cloud. I seem to recall that it was I who whooped your scrawny butt last time."

"You must have problems with depth perception, Squall, if you think that our last match was a victory for you."

"Well, _you, _sir, must have problems with _truth _perception, because I remember how I beat you!"

"Never!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Saying it loud don't make it right."

"Okay, boys!" Mom cried. "Come help us get the dinner out. Kids, you too!"

"Can we eat dinner fast?" Cloud asked.

"No! We're going to sit down, and enjoy a leisurely meal as a family, and then we'll come in the living room to talk for a while." Tifa glared at my uncle.

The two supposedly grown men just shared defeated expressions. I couldn't help but laugh. There were times when those two guys acted like thirteen-year-olds more than Marlene!

We all sat around their dining room table and ate the barbeque ribs that Cloud had been grilling when we arrived. It was a fun time. Of course, there were still the several pleas to go outside and start the petánque game, but they were always shut down by my aunt and mother. By the time we had all moved into the living room and Denzel was telling me more about the Call of Duty game, Dad and Uncle Cloud were itching to get out of the house and to the backyard.

"Okay, we've had coffee and we've talked some," Dad said.

"Can we play petánque now?" Cloud folded his arms.

"Oh, fine. Go ahead," Tifa said with a smile. The two men quickly jumped into action and were out of the living room in a matter of seconds. I rolled my eyes and looked at Denzel. "How about you show me this sick game of yours?" I said.

**...**

I was epically failing at the zombies level in the Call of Duty game when Denzel signaled me to pause suddenly.

"What?" I asked. He gestured over to his bedroom window and we peered out. We could hear our dads "debate" over their competition.

"Got it!"

"No! No way, that's not as close as mine!"

"Are you blind? Mine is definitely closer than yours!"

"Are you saying," Uncle Cloud was pointing as his ball, which was blue, "that my ball, which is three inches away, is farther than yours, which is ten yards away?"

"Are you saying that the clock tower is twelve inches high?"

"Squall, you have near sight, far sight, and hind sight problems!"

"Look - "

"_Don't _touch the ball!"

"I'm not touching it! Look, I'm not touching it…"

"Don't touch it! I'll go get my ruler…"

"Noooo. No, _I _will go get _my _ruler. You'll have some sort of ruler that you can rig or some junk."

"No, how about we go get our wives to judge?"

"Sounds good!"

Denzel grinned. "This'll be funny," he snickered.

"Yeah, you know how your mom and my mom can be," I said. We jogged down the stairs and stood in the kitchen, where our moms were sitting together, drinking tea and playing rummy. The kitchen door opened and in came our dads.

"Hey, Tifa," Cloud said. "Could you two come out and judge whose ball is closer?"

"Yeah, and Rinoa, you should come to make sure she stays honest."

"We don't want to get involved," Mom said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but -"

"I've got an idea," Tifa said. "Why don't the two of you go out, strip down to your boxer shorts, run around the beach, swim a lap or two, and whoever gets back first wins!" she grinned.

The two men did not look amused. They just glanced at each other and walked back outside.

"Glad they didn't think of getting us to judge," Denzel muttered.

"A - men," I exclaimed.

The remainder of our stay was a relatively peaceful one. Dad and Uncle Cloud somehow solved the predicament with their tournament and the two soon came back inside and the four parents began discussing several things like Dad's post at the Naval base and what Uncle Cloud did for a living, which was a motorcycle designer. I continued to game it up with Denzel, but we switched games so that Marlene could play with us a couple of times. It turns out that she was actually quite a master at Mortal Kombat.

"What the mess!" I exclaimed. My guy was being pummeled as Marlene's chick continued to kick and punch the daylight out of him. She laughed victoriously when the logo FINISH HIM came on the screen.

"You know what? I give." I handed the controller to Denzel. "Let's see if he can be your streak."

"Ha, ha. You're going down!" he exclaimed as he picked a lizard creature.

"Whatever!" Marlene scoffed.

"No, you don't know!" Denzel said. "This guy is the best! He's friggin invisible! See? Yeah! How do you like me now, son!" he shouted as Marlene's winning streak began taking a downward spiral.

"Wha- no! How…?"

"He's invisible, that's how!" Denzel laughed.

There was a knock on the door and Mom came in. "Hey, we're going," she said.

I nodded. Checking my phone, I was surprised to see that it was actually almost ten. "Ok, it's been fun, guys."

"Yeah! You have to come back soon," Denzel said, fist-pounding with me.

"You bet! Bye, Marlene."

"See ya!"

**...**

A few days later, Mom sent me on an errand to give some canned goods to Aunt Tifa that she had asked for. Mom had decided to set up her own personal garden behind our house, and she was beginning to can vegetables like a madwoman. She had some canned peaches from our old home and just now remembered that Tifa had wanted to try some. So, on this afternoon, she called me out to the garden.

"Hey, Xion. There's some of my canned peaches in the pantry. I just now remembered that Tifa wanted some from … a while back. Could you go and deliver them to her?"

I laughed. "Did gardening remind you of that, Mom?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah… Can you do that for me, please?"

I nodded. "No prob."

"She's probably at the martial arts school, remember."

"Gotcha. See ya in a few."

I was able to use a GPS that Mom had bought for the car to navigate my way to Aunt Tifa's martial arts school. It was a nice little white building called "Tiny Ninjas: School for Martial Arts." The name made me smile. There was a picture of a jumping kid in a karate uniform on the sign next to the title, I noticed, as I opened the door. A bell rung as I entered and I took in my new surroundings.

The entry room was a wide-open space with chairs to sit on and a desk where the secretary or assistant probably sat. I knew that it was for a secretary because Aunt Tifa had mentioned a secretary when we were over her house. She said that since he was there she was able to take the day off every now and then. He was an interim in teaching martial arts.

The wall to my left next to the assistant's desk was actually a wide window that showed where the little kids practiced their moves. I could see my Aunt monitoring the kids as they threw punches and performed jump-kicks. She was animated, clapping her hands and saying something in a loud voice. I was about to go in when a bathroom door to the right of me opened. Out stepped a young man who seemed to be around my age. He was tall, a few inches above me, with hair slicked back in a ponytail and strands framing his face. What I found bizarre about it was that he seemed aged beyond his years. His hair was grey! Well, perhaps silver. He wore jeans and a black polo shirt that had that ninja kid on the upright corner.

When his eyes met mine, he narrowed them. "Can I help you?"

I was a bit taken aback by his abrupt attitude. "Um… I'm just here to see my aunt… Is it okay if I go in?"

"Your aunt? Tifa?" he jerked his thumb in the direction of the training room.

"Well, is there anyone else that's female and old enough to be an aunt in this building?" I shot back. His rude attitude was starting to rub me the wrong way.

He scoffed. "Well, _excuse_ me. Didn't know she had a niece that lived here."

"We just moved here. My mom is Tifa's sister. Now, do you mind telling her that I'm here, or can I go right in?"

He frowned. "Just hold on, gun smoke. I'll go in and tell her."

"Xion!" Tifa came out before he got to the door. She was clothed in a karate uniform and held nunchucks. When she saw me, she shoved the weapons into the guy's hands and gave me a hug.

"What brings you here, honey? It's good to see you! I - Hey, Riku, go look after the kids, will ya? Don't throw them this time, either."

He smirked at me and walked into the training room. I rolled my eyes.

"What's with that sour expression?" Tifa asked.

"Your assistant is a bit of a jerk, Aunt," I muttered. "I just asked if I could see you and he gave me an attitude!"

She just waved my complaint aside. "Oh, that's just Riku. He's always got a stick up his rear, but he's harmless. Now, more importantly, what brings you here?"

I gave her the canned peaches, which pleased her.

"This is great! I'll give it to the kids as a snack," she smiled. "Your mom's canned peaches are the best!"

I nodded. "I know. I'm gonna try doing it myself some time… Well, that's pretty much why I came here. I don't mean to keep you from your students."

"Oh, I don't mind. Riku's a pretty good teacher."

I nodded, but mentally rolled my eyes. Someone who was that big of a jerk probably didn't even like kids. I could actually see him through the windows, pacing back and forth, watching the kids practice.

"Well, I've gotta go. See you around, Aunt Tifa!"

She smiled. "See ya. And tell your mom thanks! Hey, come by next time and maybe I'll give you some lessons!"

I nodded and walked out the door. But as I got into the car and started it up, I told myself that I was not going back there when that secretary kid was around. I didn't need some jerky dude butting into my life.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, new chapter! So, I just want to let you all know that the petanque section (which is like bocce ball, if you've ever played that) is actually originally from _The Cosby Show._ I tried not to use direct quotes all the time, but there are some here and there. So, I'm crediting that show for the petanque idea. Go check the episode out! -

/watch?v=8LVJvOBiZwY&list=PL771410413A79B411&index=54&feature=plpp_video

So, that's that! I won't be using anything like this again, so don't worry. XDD Cheers!


	3. Surprises

Chapter 3

Surprises

It was the beginning of August and the start of my freshman year of college at Destiny University (yeah, I thought it was a cheesy name too) would begin at the second to last week of the month. I knew I had to begin considering finding a place to stay near the college. I was thinking of living on campus, but Mom suggested that I try to find a place to live nearby instead.

"So you wouldn't have to worry about dorm rules and on-campus duties. Besides, you need some independence now that you're starting college, right?" she asked, winking.

"Hey," Dad said, as we sat at the table while we ate dinner. "You should call that lady that owns a beach house by the school. I received a message from her that offered Xion a place to stay when she goes to college."

Mom frowned. "How'd she know that we had a daughter going into college?"

Dad smirked. "Well, word goes around fast. Apparently we're big news here."

Mom's eyes widened. "Really? Well, do you have the number?"

Dad nodded.

Mom turned to me. "What do you think, Xion?"

I shrugged. "Sounds good to me! I'll call her, myself!"

Dad smiled. "Okay. I'll go get her number after supper."

**...**

"This looks like the place." Mom slammed the car door shut on her side as I stepped out of mine. We both were staring at a small café located on the boardwalk, somewhat distanced from the shoreline and its amusement park. It was named The 13th Warrior and it had a sort of broad sword slashing across the title. I kind of liked it. It looked different - not painted in bright pastels like most beach stores. Nor did it have any ocean wave theme or anything like it. To be honest, it looked a little sketch. But, on the other hand, that's what caught my attention. In high school, since we weren't popular, me and the one friend I did have would retreat to little coffee shops and cafés that were considered underground and suspicious. Those would be the places where underground bands would perform before they would become popular. So, a place like this was a little nostalgic for me.

Mom, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about the look of the place.

"This is where that lady wanted to meet us?" she queried. "Xion, if there are a bunch of hosts in there, I don't care how low the rent of that house is. You're staying with us."

I smiled. "I don't think there'll be a host club in there, Mom."

She just shook her head. "Well, it looks a bit suspicious."

I stepped towards the door. "Want me to scout out the area before we cross over to enemy lines?"

"Ha, ha. You're such a comedian, Xion."

Mom rolled her eyes and marched up to the door. She grimly took hold of the handle and swung the door open. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found. Inside was a warm, cozy place with shelves upon shelves of books, music, records, manga, movies and games all spread throughout the store. Posters of famous characters hung on the walls - characters ranging from Darth Vader to Inuyasha. There were also posters of famous writers and musicians, as well as actors and video game logos. To the far right of the store was a little café area where couches and tables wee set up as well as a bar loaded with goodies and different drinks. To the far left were the registers where purchases were made. There was a screen above one of the registers as well as a huge dry-erase board that had "New Arrivals & Hot Pics!" written on it in bright green with a Viking drawn on the side. Everywhere else were shelves upon shelves that held all the items. It resembled a library. Signs hung from the ceiling above each shelf that had a colored letter and colored tabs signifying what was on each specific shelf.

My mom murmured, "Well…"

"This is a goldmine!" I exclaimed, grinning.

"It's definitely not what I expected, that's for sure!" she chirped.

There were sounds of movement and we saw a man emerge from a door behind the registers. He was dressed in a black t-shirt that had a ghostly face of a woman shrouded in fog. The words _The Woman in Black _were written in white on the lower right of the shirt. On his arms were colorful tattoos of fire. His hair was spiked and an unnatural red color. He had a friendly smile, though.

"Welcome! Can I help you?"

"Oh no," Mom said politely. "We're just waiting for someone. She wanted us to meet her here."

"Really? Oh! Hey, I think I know who you're waiting for."

The two of us looked at each other warily. The man pushed the door open and leaned inside. He yelled, "Hey Aqua! That girl is here!"

"She is? Oh good!"

The redhead was shoved aside and a woman came out. She was quite lovely with shocking, short blue hair. She wore a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Mom and I surprisingly weren't nervous at all after seeing her. She had such a friendly air about her, plus her smile was wide and contagious.

She briskly walked up to us and shook both our hands.

"My name is Aqua," the lady said cheerfully. "Are you Mrs. Leonhart and Xion?"

Mom nodded. "Yes, I'm Rinoa. It's nice to meet you, Aqua. I admit, I was a little worried to come here. From the outside, it looked a little…"

"Suspicious? Weird? Bizarre?"

Mom sheepishly nodded, but Aqua just nodded understandingly.

"It is a bit weird, right? But that's how they like it," she said, rolling her eyes. "It has to do with some movie, or something. But this is a fairly quiet place, so I figured we could have a good talk here."

She led us over to the area where the café was as well as the sitting area. We sat on a couch together and Aqua sat in a chair across from us. She crossed her legs and smiled at me.

"Are you excited to start your first year of college, Xion?"

I nodded. "Definitely! And I really appreciate the invitation to rent out a roomat your boarding house!"

Aqua smiled brightly. "Well, when I heard that the daughter of Colonel Leonhart was going to college here, I knew I had to have you stay at my place! Now, let's talk accomodations." She leaned in toward us. "I was thinking of 20,000 munny per year? Usually it's 40,000, but since your dad's in the service, I gave a discount. It's what's expected, after all."

Mom nodded. "That's fine. I appreciate the discount. And Xion is going to find a job to help pay for expenses, right?" she nudged my arm and I quickly nodded.

"What about food, electricity, water or internet? Stuff like that?" I queried.

Aqua shook her head. "Not to worry. You're fine when it comes to internet and water. That sort of stuff won't be a problem. As for food, I'm in charge of provisions and the like, but I was wondering if you could take care of it, Xion?"

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. "Uh, sure! Whatever you need…"

"Well, I can't always be around, you see. Actually, I'll be quite busy taking carre of my father's buisiness in the upcoming months, so if you could just be in charge of the food and other things, I would greatly appreciate it."

I shrugged. It didn't seem like that big of a problem. "Sure. I don't see why not. I'm not _that _much of a cook, but I can whip up a thing or two."

"Thank you! I have a credit card that's assigned for the house's expenses, so I'll be sure to give that to you. And you know what? There's a place I go to get my own groceries, not that place downtown, but a smaller place. They have better prices. Just in case you don't want to, you know, pay the inflated prices in that one grocery store downtown."

I nodded. That store did have insanse prices on some items, if I remembered correctly from my expedition to the store earlier in the week. Aqua rubbed her hands together and stood. "Well!" she said. "Would the two of you like to go and see what the place looks like?"

I glanced at Mom and she nodded at me. "We would!"

Aqua smiled. "Then follow me!"

We followed her out of the store and got into a small blue car. We did likewise and soon we were on the road, driving away from downtown and out through fields of golden grass. It reminded me of the road to the military base where we lived (even though we were going in the opposite direction). The ocean was a little ways below us. As we continued to drive away from downtown, I saw several towns to our left passing by. We began going down hill and the beach was soon level to us on our right. In front of us, Aqua honked her car horn as we passed a clearing to our left and I saw a spread of brick buildings with a big parking lot in the center. Mom tapped my arm.

"That's the college, I think."

"Looks like it."

It wasn't very big. After all, the island's population wasn't incredibly numerous. That didn't bug me too much. Although I didn't mind fading into a crowd, a small number of people might mean getting to know each other more intimately.

_That also means no privacy or secrrets though, Xion…_ The thought made me wince. Yeah… Small groups also meant everybody knowing your business. At least I wouldn't be living in a dorm hall. This would be an interesting first semester.

We passed the school and went down a road which was closer to the beach that the homes and the college. Here were a few beach houses spread out. They were raised on beams and painted all sorts of colors. Some had cars parked in driveways, others didn't.

Aqua pulled into a driveway of a bigger, white bungalow. I saw a balcony for one of the rooms overlooking the beach to the side. It really was a lovely house. The windows on the first floor were bay windows and there was a wrap-around porch along with a gate to the sides that probably opened up to a backyard. We got out of our cars and Aqua held her arms out to the sides.

"This is it!" she exclaimed.

Mom was pleased, as was I. "It's beautiful, Miss Aqua!" I said.

Aqua pulled out a small key ring and handed it to me. "There are gonna be four other students living with you, but they haven't moved in fully yet. Only two of them have some of their belongings here, but there isn't anyone living here yet. Would you like to see inside?"

Would I? I was _dying _to see what it was like inside! It was so beautiful on the outside, it was sure to be lovely on the inside as well.

"Sure! That'd be awesome!"

Aqua pulled out her own set of keys and unlocked the door. We stepped inside and I wasn't disappointed. The interior of the first floor was, typicaly, a beach theme done in soft blues, grays and greens and it left me with a feeling of such peace. The furniture was colored in sandy browns and light tans of leather. On one side of the room was the living room area where a TV was set up. The kitchen was on the other side with an island bar looking towards the TV. Two doors straight ahead of me probably led to (I was guessing) a dining room and beside the living room were the stairs. There were pictures of fish, beaches and sunsets hanging on the walls.

I nodded. "This is lovely."

Aqua sighed happily. "Glad you think so! I designed the place myself, adding little touches like the mini fountain by that window and the sea shells everywhere."

Mom ran her hand along a leather chair. "This is very homey. _I _would love to live here! So, where did you go to get the little decorations?"

As my mom and Aqua continued talking about the décor, I decided to go upstairs. On the second floor, there were four individual rooms. Two of them were closed (the ones on the ends of the hall) and one of the middle doors was opened a crack. I couldn't help my curiosity and peeked in. What I saw was a spacious room with two beds against the left and right walls. There were two desks, two dressers andI thought I saw t-shirts hanging in an open, walk-in closet. There were also a couple of suitcases scattered around the place.

"Pretty nice," I muttered. I closed the door till it was opened just a crack as before and moved to the fourth door. This one was next to the room on the far right end of the hall and it was open and empty.

I stepped inside and surveyed the area. It was a wide open room with a large bed against the left wall with a nightstand beside it. There was a walk-in closet like the other open room and on the right side wall was a little sitting area where there were two chairs set up. A smaller door was also near here. When I opened it, I found myself in a small bathroom that had a shower, sink and toilet.

The bathroom and bedroom were decorated with a distinct lighthouse theme. The shower curtain had lighthouses on it and there was a lamp the shape of a lighthouse on the nightstand. Pictures of lighthouses were on the walls.

As I sat down in the chair looking out of the window (which opened up to a balcony) I heard the other two women come up the stairs.

"Oh, there you are, Xion," Mom said. In entering the room, she sighed.

"Now this is nice!"

Aqua came and sat down in the chair next to me.

"I was thinking of giving this room to you, Xion," she said.

My eyes widened. "Seriously? No one claimed this room yet?"

"Yeah. After all, you're one of the first students to see the place, so it's really first come, first served. Plus, I figured you'd like this room."

"I do!" I exclaimed. "I love the lighthouses! Actually, I've never been to a lighthouse before!"

Mom and Aqua smiled. "Well, you'll have to see the one here whenever you get the chance!"

"You bet! Maybe we could go find it sometime?" I asked, looking at Mom. She shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Whenever Dad gets the chance, we can go. Now, in the meantime, you'll have to get moved in soon!" she said happily. I heartily agreed. We spent a few more minutes of looking around. The kitchen was spacious and the living room had a big hutch where the TV was stored along with such things as movies and a DVD player, but there was also room for additions. There was also a basement, but there wasn't much to see down there. That was where Aqua stayed when she came back from business trips with her father, so it was basically a small apartment space.

Basically, that was it for the inside. In the backyard of the house was a nice little fenced-in area of outdoor tables, picnic benches, umbrellas and a pool!

No, seriously. There was a pool for this boarding house!

"You guys will have to clean it, though," Aqua informed me. "We'd like to hire someone to clean it, but that's just not possible at the moment."

"I guess that's what you get for allowing a low rent, huh?" Mom said.

Aqua nodded. "But not to worry. I'm sure you guys wouldn't mind doing that over having to pay a higher rent, right?"

I nodded emphatically. "Not a problem. I'm sure it's not a hard job, anyway."

"Nah. Besides, the money I'll be putting on that credit card I'm giving you will also be for cleaning supplies. Just think of this as taking care of your own home, with four other housemates to help out."

"Right." I was extremely excited now. This place was amazing! For the (I don't know) maybe the hundredth time, I was thrilled to be on these islands!

**...**

The weeks passed away quickly and I began the process of moving into my new "home." Mom and Dad helped me for the most part until I only had a very few amount of items left. I wouldn't be getting a car since the school was near the house. Really, everything could be reached easily by bike. Therefore, I got a bike and decided to put it right there at the side of the house near the side door that led into the kitchen.

When I only had myself, one lone backpack and my bike to move into the house, I bid one last goodbye to my parents. It wasn't that much of an emotional goodbye. After all, I could very well bike to their house in a matter of twenty to thirty minutes and they could drive over to the house even quicker.

"You got everything? Phone, phone charger, keys?" Mom asked.

"Yup!" I shook my backpack and held up my lariat of keys to show that I did. Mom nodded and hugged me. "Be good, honey," she said quietly.

Dad hugged me next. "If you need _any_ thing," he whispered, "you know where I am."

I nodded, my face buied in his chest. "I know, Daddy."

"Okay. We love you, Xion," he said, pulling away.

I couldn't help but grin. "Love you too!" I saluted to them, then headed out on to the road that led to the white house I would call home for the next four years.

The door was open, so I let myself in. From what I saw, it looked like there had been some people in the house recently. I saw someone's jacket lying on a couch and there were a couple of cups scattered about on coffee table and lamp stands. I shrugged, figuring that I would meet my housemates soon. Maybe Aqua was even here?

_Whatever, _I thought apathetically. _I'll meet them sooner or later. I'm more excited to finally be able to relax in my new room! _

My room had been arranged so that I had my bed and closet on one side and a bit of a relaxation area on the other side. Where the chairs had been by the balcony, I had placed a TV there in front of the chairs. I had a round chair and a beanbag situated by the TV and there was a bookshelf on the left of the door. I had put up some curtains and hung pictures and posters on the walls. There was also a music stand by the window as well. After all, I would be expected to practice a lot.

Speaking of which, my violin was resting on a small bench that was at the foot of my bed. I held it lovingly, looking over the polished wood and the taut strings. With careful precision, I began to adjust the strings so that they would have a specific sound and picked up my bow. With a few adjustments against my chin and shoulder, I decided to play a couple of chords for a minute. It sounded in tune. Before I began playing one of the pieces that I had been practicing, I heard the sound of the front door closing. There were voices. My eyes widened and I carefully placed the instrument in its case on the bench.

I went to my door and peered out to see if anyone was in the hallway. There was no one, but I could hear the voices more distinctly. They had to have been downstairs. I peered over the railing to look down. There were three guys sitting on the couch and chairs. I couldn't see their faces but one of them had spiky brown hair and the other two had blonde hair.

"Is there _really _gonna be a girl living with us?" the spiky head kid asked.

One of the blondes shrugged. "I guess so. Aqua said that she was the daughter of the new Colonel at the naval base. She says she's nice."

"_Really? _She's the kid of Squall Leonhart? Man, I gotta meet her!"

The other blonde laughed. "I just hope she'll be all right here. After all, I don't think Aqua told her that she'd be living with four guys."

I gripped the railing. _Say __**what?**_

"You mean she didn't tell her? What was Aqua thinking?"

"Ventus, did Aqua realize that she might not be okay with living with four guys?"

"You know how Aqua is. I don't think it occurred to her that it would be that big of a problem."

"Hmm… Maybe we should go upstairs and introduce ourselves to her. You know, to break the ice. I, uh, I guess we'll have to tell her ourselves about the… situation."

I gulped. This wasn't what I expected at all! I had thought that there would be other girls living here, or at least some girls and some boys. I hadn't been prepared for living with four guys! I didn't have any brothers or anything, nor was I ever popular with the guys in high school! Ok, so my one friend in high school was a guy, but he wasn't popular either. That was beside the point! This was quite different. Besides, if my dad found out about this, I knew that heads would roll. Taking a step back, I tripped over my feet and crashed to the ground. I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and felt my face grow hot.

"Hey! It's her!"

The last thing I wanted to do was say hello and introduce myself while sprawled on the floor, but there they were, standing above me. The spiky, brown-haired guy knelt down and stared at me.

"Hi!" he exclaimed.

Well, he was friendly, that's for sure. He also had very blue eyes. "Um… hey," I muttered.

"I'm Sora!" he chirped. He held out his hand to me.

"Xion." I shook his hand, still feeling foolish. When his hand held mine, he grinned.

"Here! I'll help you up."

"Thanks." When I stood up, I got a good look at the three. The other two seemed about the same age as me and the spiky-haired kid. They were blonde and looked exactly alike. Twins. One had glasses on with a sweater and the other had a t-shirt and shorts on. The one who wasn't wearing glasses was the second one who shook my hand.

"I'm Ventus!" he said. "And this is my brother, Roxas."

"Hello, Xion," Roxas said, being the last to shake my hand.

"Hey," I said. _Oh boy, this is where it's gonna get awkward._ We had all shaken hands, and now it was quiet. Before any of us spoke up, the front door closed and I heard Aqua's voice.

"Oh good! You guys all met her!" She bounded up the stairs and greeted us with a big smile.

"So, are you all moved in, Xion?" she asked me.

"Yeah… Um, you see…" I began, but stopped. I didn't exactly know what I was going to say, what with everyone staring at me.

Ventus spoke up. "We've got a bit of a problem, Aqua."

Aqua's eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Did you tell Xion that she'd be living with four boys?"

Aqua opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it. "Aw man, I'm so sorry, Xion. It totally escaped my mind. I was just really excited to meet you and your mom and I was hoping that you'd take the place before I got any more offers."

"What do you mean?" asked Roxas.

"You guys are quite popular. Do you know how many girls were calling me at all hours to ask if I could rent them this room? It was getting so friggin annoying, so I told them I was reserving the place for Xion."

"You do realize that many of those girls will probably try to kill Xion now, right?" Roxas said nonchalantly.

I gulped. "Wait! _Kill?_"

Aqua winced. "Oh… Yeah, I didn't think about that. Wow… Um, don't worry, Xion! These guys'll look out for you, right? I'm sure they can ask their fan girls not to bully you!" she patted me on the shoulder as means of comfort. It didn't comfort me at all. The last thing I wanted was a bunch of rabid girls breathing down my back because I was shacked up with some guys I didn't even know. The semester hadn't even started yet!

"It's not our fans that we're worried about," Sora muttered.

Aqua's eyes widened. "Ohhh… _Those _fan girls…" Aqua whispered. She looked a bit worried now.

I held up my hands. "Whoa, whoa. Hold up. What do you mean by _fans?"_

Aqua chuckled. "Well, you see, these guys here," she put her arms around Ventus and Sora. "Have worked up some reputations. I know you're a bit worried about living here, Xion, but you won't have better friends defending you when you're in trouble than these guys."

The twin with glasses, Roxas, came to my side and gave me a gentle smile. "I hope you won't mind living here, Xion. Aqua told us about meeting you, and you seem like a great person to be around! Won't you stay? We won't make things troublesome for you or anything."

"Yeah!" Sora exclaimed. "You'll be our princess! We'll spoil you rotten!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that."

"We'll give you space and make sure no girls give you grief!" Ventus added. He came to my other side and put his arm around my shoulders. I found myself actually smiling more. All right, so maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

"There's only one thing we have to worry about," Sora said.

"Yeah," Roxas said quietly. "We have to worry about _his _fan girls. We can handle the girls who like _us_, but those other ones… They're harder to control…"

"Wait. Whose fans?" I asked.

We all turned as the front door was heard closing.

"Hey!" I heard. "What are you all doing? Are we having a party on the stairs or something?"

The fourth and final guy came up the stairs and my eyes widened. Not with delight, but with dismay.

I was going to have to live with that jerk that worked with Tifa at her martial arts school.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey again! Another chapter, another addition to the story! And... yeah, now that I think about it, it's a bit predictable, lol. XDD But oh well! I like it. Hope you do too! And what kind of KH fic would it be without mention of fangirls... especially Riku fangirls? :D Yay.


End file.
